Your true cost per mile is every dollar it costs to run the truck — fixed costs plus variable costs — divided by the miles you actually drive. For most owner-operators that lands somewhere around $1.50 to $2.00 per mile, and any rate below it means you're paying to haul the load.
Fixed vs. variable costs
Fixed costs don't change with miles: truck payment, insurance, permits, ELD, and your own salary. Variable costs scale with miles: fuel, tires, maintenance, tolls, and def. Add a full year of both, then divide by the miles you realistically run (not the miles you wish you ran) to get an honest cost per mile.
Why deadhead miles wreck the math
You get paid for loaded miles but you pay for every mile, including empty 'deadhead' miles driving to the next load. If 15% of your miles are unpaid, your real cost per paid mile is meaningfully higher — that's why dividing by total miles driven, not just billed miles, is the only number that protects you.
Turning cost per mile into a rate
Your cost per mile is the floor, not the price. Add your target profit per mile on top to get the minimum rate to accept. If your cost is $1.70 and you want $0.40 profit, you don't take loads under $2.10/mile — no matter how tempting the total looks.
Run your own numbers
Enter your fixed costs, variable costs, and realistic annual miles and the calculator returns your true operating cost per mile and the minimum rate you need to haul profitably.
Open the free Cost-Per-Mile & Rate Calculator →
Frequently asked questions
What's a typical cost per mile for an owner-operator?
Commonly $1.50–$2.00+ per mile all-in, depending on truck payment, insurance, fuel prices, and how many empty miles you run. Newer trucks and high-insurance markets push it higher.
Should I include my own pay in cost per mile?
Yes. Your salary is a real cost of running the business. Leaving it out makes loads look profitable when they're really just covering the truck and paying you nothing.
Do deadhead miles count?
They cost you fuel and wear but earn nothing, so divide costs by total miles driven. Ignoring deadhead is the most common reason owner-operators underprice loads.